The Reverend Billy Corgan Z-One is a result of the ongoing collaboration between Billy Corgan and guitar craftsman Joe Naylor, inspired by some of the heavier sounds found in the Smashing Pumpkins' catalog. This guitar boasts a specifically designed set of specs, combining Reverend design and innovative features to deliver a unique playing experience geared toward players searching for thick and smooth tone.
The body of the Reverend Billy Corgan Z-One is cut from alder that offers a thick sound, that's furthered by its pickup selection, resulting in an ability to create heavy tones inspired by Corgan's guitar playing. The body design incorporates deep cutaways, facilitating easy access to the higher frets.
A roasted maple neck, medium over neck, with a fingerboard of the same material that features 22 frets. The frets themselves are sized at 0.110 inches wide and 0.050 inches high, and the total scale length of this instrument is a slightly-longer-than-average 26.22 inches. This extended scale length plays a crucial role in achieving the guitar's intended purpose, set up for a deeper, D-standard tuning, inspired by the "Terz" philosophy. This tuning choice is to deliver a more robust and resonant tone, bridging the gap between standard and baritone tuning, making it a great choice for guitarists exploring lower tunings. The dual-action truss rod, accessible from the headstock, allows tweaking of the neck's curvature to suit their playing preferences.
In Corgan fashion, this guitar is equipped with Railhammer Z-One pickups, designed to capture the essence of Corgan's heavier creations. These pickups offer a fat midrange and a smooth top end, delivering the powerful and well-defined tones needed for ripping big rock solos. Custom artwork is etched into the pickup covers, as well as a special "Z" logo on its headstock. The bridge of the Corgan Z-One is a hardtail design, creating a solid connection between the strings and the body, improving its resonance and clarity.
The Reverend Billy Corgan Z-One comes equipped with Reverend's pin-lock tuners, a 1.6141" Boneite nut, and a control layout that includes a volume knob, tone knob, bass contour knob, and a 3-way pickup selector switch. This versatile control setup allows players to tailor their tone in a precise way, allowing players to achieve Pumpkins-esque tones, or to opt for some cleaner sounds from the same instrument.
With an aluminum pickguard adding a touch of a futuristic aesthetic, the gloss body of this High Tide Blue beauty creates an instrument that looks as good as it sounds.
